decision which allowed First Division champions Vasco to sign new players beyond the transfer deadline.

Tyrrell insisted the manner in which they helped the Portuguese club sign seven players without subjecting them to late transfer regulations was something they would have done to accommodate any other team in a similar predicament.

And he took strong exception to Saturday's Royal Gazette headlines, "BFA bend the rules for struggling Vasco'', claiming that was not the case.

"We haven't bent the rules at all, we were well within our jurisdiction. The bylaws give us that sort of leeway to do certain things and basically Vasco presented us with a situation that we felt we could help,'' said the BFA president.

"We would have done this for any other club, most definitely. The headline about bending the rules is not indicative of what we have done, I take strong exception to that.

"We would have responded the same way if it was any other club, yet it always seems as if controversial things surround certain clubs.'' The president pointed out that the current BFA executive had attempted to be positive and take decisions that were in soccer's best interests.

The inclusion of Vasco, he believed, was a positive move, which was beneficial to soccer as it involved a prominent club that had had "a tremendous impact on the local scene for some time.'' "I think the BFA, over the past few years, have been very progressive in what we have attempted to do and I would like to think that all of the time we have been well within our rights to do what we have done to assist in the further development of soccer at all levels,'' added Tyrrell.

"The inclusion of Vasco is good for soccer. People may look at it in a selfish way and say `let them go down' because whatever happened to them is because they haven't protected themselves. Okay, I understand that, but we are here to promote the game of soccer, that's certainly what I am here for.

"Things like this may have a stinging reaction some times but we have to wait and see. But I strongly disagree with anybody who feels that we were simply doing Vasco a favour. I am not out for doing favours because sometimes they backfire on you. I can assure you that there was no favour intended in this case.'' Tyrrell agreed that one of their options was to drop Vasco and have the First Division operate with just nine teams. But they then would have had to draw up a new schedule.

"The bottom line is that we were glad that we were able to help Vasco in this regard. But it is also important to get the message out that we just don't make decisions without giving great thought to their purpose. It's done in the best overall interests of this great sport of soccer that we have all come to love.'' Vasco will be featured in the season-opener on Sunday night when they meet FA Cup champions Devonshire Colts in the Charity Cup at BAA Field, starting at 8.00.